Middle Orient

Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Aviv Kohavi’s recent decision to appoint two officers without media experience to key roles in the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit is puzzling. Imagine for a moment that the IDF chief of staff decided to appoint an officer from the Spokesperson’s Unit to serve as the commander of …

The pro-Turkish al-Hamza Division summoned the mayors of the villages and towns which they control – Ma’arat, Kazeh, Kfardali Fawqani, and Kfardali. The Division demanded the mayors to count the property of the forcibly displaced people from the aforementioned areas, to take full control over them. According to the Syrian …

Tri-Lightning one-day counter-air exercise involves friendly and adversary aircraft in active and passive defense operations; IAF commander says drill enables Israel Air Force to strengthen capabilities and enhance operational readiness British and American troops joined the Israel Air Force on Tuesday for a one-day exercise in the Negev Desert. The …

Russia’s UN ambassador said his government is still considering whether or not to veto the UN’s mandate for Syria’s last remaining aid crossing. Russia’s UN ambassador on Wednesday said a proposal to open of additional border crossings for humanitarian aid into opposition-held areas of Syria, calling the idea a “nonstarter.” …

Islamic State activities seem to have diminished during the month of June in the Kurdish-controlled areas in northeastern Syria amid a crackdown led by the Syrian Democratic Forces. After the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) cracked down on cells affiliated with the Islamic State (IS), the latter’s activity seems to have …

At least 15 people were injured in an explosion at a crowded market in Baghdad’s Sadr City. An explosion in a crowded Baghdad market on Wednesday injured at least 15 people, Iraqi officials said. The military confirmed the blast went off in Sadr City, a mostly Shiite section of the …

Baghdad’s program to allow families of Islamic State adherents to return from a Syrian camp and to reintegrate them back into Iraqi society stirs controversy. The Iraqi government decided June 6 to accept the return of 100 Islamic State (IS) families. The returnees are transferred to Al-Jada camp in Mosul …

Diplomatic relations are not advancing as rapidly as those with the Emirates and Bahrain, but Israel sees positive trends in ties with Morocco. Israeli President Reuven Rivlin was in the United States this week, for a farewell visit ahead of the end of his term July 9. As part of …

Structural problems continue to keep Turkey from putting in place a comprehensive strategy to combat Islamic State elements in the country, despite numerous operations against networks linked to the radical Islamist group. Turkish security operations against networks linked to the Islamic State (IS) appear on the rise, but how efficient …

Critics say the arrest of Syrian citizens and their extradition to Turkey violates Turkish and international humanitarian law. The rendition of Syrian nationals to Turkey, where they are prosecuted and jailed on thinly evidenced terror charges, has returned to the spotlight with the life sentencing by a Turkish court of …